Closure



Jan. 13 1942. c DAVIS 2,270,018

CLOSURE Filed Nov. 1, 1940 I INVENTOR JOSEPH C. DAV/s Patented Jan. 13, 1942 2,210,018 CLOSURE Joseph C. Davis, Mamaroneck, N. Y., assignor to Sylvania Industrial Corporation, Frcdericksburg, Va., a corporation of Virginia Application November 1, 1940, Serial No. 363,796.

1 Claim.

The present invention relates to container closures. More particularly, it relates to sealed closures in which the seal is provided by a shrunken band of water-swelling material.

Shrinkable bands formed of water-swelling materials such, for example, as. cellulose 'regenerated from viscose, are used generally as secondary closures. That is, as closures for bottles containing wines, liquors, medicinals, chemicals and the like inwhich the primary closure is provided by a cork, screw thread top or the like and the secondary closure in the form of a band or cap of shrinkable material is placed over the neck of the bottle and permitted to shrink into tight contact with the primary closure and the neck of the bottle. Such shrinkable bands have not been capable of use heretofore where the sealing action has been dependent upon the force set up by the shrunken band and where the moisture content of; the container could come in contact with. the .band. In such closures the moisture content of the container would cause swelling of the shrunken band and loosen the closure with the result that the contents would spill and/or spoil. Since moisture-containing substances comprise a large proportion of materials packed in sealed containers, the use of shrinkable bands to form primary closures has been seriously restricted.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of closing containers holding moisture-containing materials by means of water-swelling, shrinkable bands to form watertight seals.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a container closure, formed in part.

by a shrinkable band of water-swelling material, which will retain liquid moisture within the container.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of what are now considered in general a container holding therein a liquidcontaining substance and a closure for the container comprising a moistureproof and waterproof material disposed over the opening in the container and extended down around the container, a top-over the container in contact with the material and a shrinkable band formed of water-swelling.material tightly engaging the top and the container over the area covered by the moistureproof, water-proof material and forcing the top into clamping relation with the container to compress the moistureproof and waterproof material therebetween to provide a seal which is substantially proof against the watercontent of the material in the container.

The invention accordingly comprises the several steps and the relation of one or more such steps with respect to each of the others, and the article possesses the features, properties, and the relation of elements which are' exemplified .in the following detailed description and the scope of the invention wilL be indicated in the claim.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the'invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

' 'Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a container including the closure of the present invention, and

Fig. 2'is a central, vertical, sectional view of the closure of the container illustrated in Figure 1.

Referring to the drawing, the container I0 comprises a jar or other receptacle having a mouth i2 and capable of holding food stuffs such as jams, jellies, honey, beverages, and the like, or other materials such 'as cements, chemicals and the like materials containing liquid moisthe skirt la, and permitted to dry and shrink into tight contact with the periphery of the top 20 and extend slightly over the top as shown at 24 and at the same time shrink tightly into contact with the skirt I8 and force the skirt into tight conformation with the exterior of the container. The exterior of the container is preferably shaped adjacent the opening so 'as to permit the skirt l8 and band to obtain a grip on the container, as by rounding the container sides inwardly as shown at 26 to form a projection which the band can shrink under and thereby grip. The band thereby forces the container top toward the container lip l6 and brings about a clamping action with the container lip so as to tightly compress the sheet material [2 between the top of th container and the container lip to prevent the passage of moisture out of the container and simultaneously seal the skirt IB tightly against the side of the container to prevent any moisture which might find its way out of the container from coming in contact with the shrunken band 22. In this manner, all moisture from the interior of the container is effectively prevented from reaching and swelling the shrunken band 22 with the result that the container remains tightly sealed so long as liquid moisture is not applied to the shrunken band from the outside. The band may be coated on the outside with a moistureproof and waterproof lacquer of any desired type to protect the seal from being accidentally loosened if such is desired.

The sheet material I2 may be any moistureproof, water-proof material such, for example, as that disclosed in patent application Serial No. 207,938, filed on May 14, 1938, in the name of Ralph T. K. Cornwell. This material will sufiice to prevent the escape of water from the interior of the container and when ingredients containing other forms of moisture which would have a deleterious effect upon the shrinkable bands are packed within the container, the sheet material 12 should be formed of a substance which is not affected by the said contents. For example, a sheet formed of rubber hydrohalide such as that sold by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company under the trade-name Pliofilm maybe used when certain corrosive types of material are stored within the container. Other materials which may be used are sheets of 'rubber, sheets of synthetic resins, such as methyl methacrylate, polymerized vinyl acetate, co-polymers of vinyl acetate and vinylchloride, urea-aldehyde, phenol-aldehyde condensation products, polystyrene, and many other film-forming materials.

The shrinkable band may be made from any shrinkable, water-swelling material, for example, cellulose regenerated from viscose, cupraammonium solutions of cellulose, solutions of cellulose in inorganic solvents suchas zinc chloride, or solutions of cellulose in organic solvents such as quaternary ammonium compounds, cellulose others, as well as gelatin and water-swelling synthetic resins such as urea-aldehyde, phenol-aldehyde and alkyd resins of the Rezyl type.

The container may be formed of any desired shape and the top may be likewise varied in shape as desired.

The process and article of the present invention make it possible to rapidly and economically package liquid-moisture containing ingredients in containers which can be hermetically sealed so as to prevent spoilage or wastage of the container contents and at the same time opened with a minimum of effort. The container seals cannot be loosened by the contents of the container under normal conditions with the result that the containers can be stored, shipped, and handled incidental to placement in the hands of the userwithout fear of loss or damage to the contents.

The term moistureproof material" as used throughout this description and the claim is to be understood to mean a material which is substantially impervious to moisture in both liquid and vapor form.

The term water-prooof material" as used throughout this description and the claim is to be understood to mean a material which retains its moistureproof properties while in contact with liquid moisture.

Since certain changes in carrying out the above process, and certain modifications in the article which embody the invention may be made without departing from the scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoing de-- scription or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted a illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

An article of manufacture comprising a container having a mouth in the top thereof, a sheet of moistureproof material disposed over the mouth of the container and extended downwardly around the side of the container to form a skirt portion, a rigid substantially disc-shaped top for the container disposed over the said sheet over the mouth of the container, and an endless band of water-swellable material which shrinks upon drying shrunk into tight contact with the periphery of the top and the said skirt portion of said sheet to simultaneously clamp the top onto the container and provide a tight seal between the container and said sheet, the said skirt portion extending below the lowermost edge of the water-swellable band, whereby moisture from the contents of the container is prevented by the moistureprooi' sheet from contacting and swelling the band in the event exudation of moisture from the interior of the container occurs.

JOSEPH C. DAVIS. 

